The increasing use of mobile English tutoring applications has created new opportunities for integrating gamification and digital feedback into teacher education. However, empirical evidence concerning how these features jointly influence grammar and speaking proficiency among pre-service teachers remains limited in Nigeria. This study examined the role of gamification and feedback in English tutoring applications in enhancing grammar and speaking skills among pre-service teachers in Nasarawa State, Nigeria. A quasi-experimental mixed-method design was adopted. The modelled study involved 240 pre-service teachers drawn from Nasarawa State University, Keffi and College of Education, Akwanga. Participants were assigned to an experimental group using a gamified English tutoring application and a comparison group receiving conventional digitally supported English instruction. Data were collected using the Grammar Achievement Test, Speaking Performance Assessment Scale and Gamification and Feedback Questionnaire. Quantitative data were analysed using means, standard deviations, independent-sample t-tests, Pearson product-moment correlation and multiple regression, while qualitative responses were analysed thematically. The modelled findings indicated that participants exposed to the gamified application demonstrated greater gains in grammar and speaking performance than participants in the comparison group. Feedback quality emerged as a stronger predictor of speaking performance, whereas gamification showed a substantial association with grammar achievement. Participants reported that immediate corrective feedback, progress indicators, challenges and badges encouraged repeated practice and sustained engagement. The study concludes that gamification is most educationally valuable when combined with timely, specific and actionable feedback. The findings have implications for English language teacher education, mobile-assisted language learning and digital pedagogy in Nigerian tertiary institutions.

Keywords: Gamification, Digital Feedback, English Tutoring Applications, Grammar, Speaking Skills.